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Each semester for the last 3 years, the painting and art
studio classes have had a final project assignment that
involved creating a collaborative piece. A famous or
significant person was chosen by the group and then their
portrait was painted to be put up somewhere in the school.
The way in which it was done was the most interesting
part as the teacher, Debra Zare, would take the selected
photograph, crop and enlarge it so it could be properly
scaled to fit the wall it would eventually be mounted
on. In the past, some of these portraits have been as
small as 4’ x
5’ and as large as this current piece, which measures
5’ x 7’. The photograph is gridded into 35
one foot by one foot canvas pieces, each student receiving
a 2" x 2" piece of the photo that they then have
to accurately enlarge on their square and paint in oils.
The palette of colors is strict to maintain consistency
in color and the project is done as an out of class assignment
so students do not compare their pieces to one who may
lay next to theirs in the final painting. The big surprise
is on the last day of class when everyone brings their
finished piece to class and they put it all together. There
is an excitement and magic when it all comes together.
Last year, the subject of the mural was Wangari Maathai,
a Kenyan environmentalist who won the 2004 Nobel Peace
Prize. Science teacher, Mary Beth Nawor, approached art
teacher, Debra Zare, asking her if this years’ person was chosen
as she very much wanted Wangari to be the subject, if possible.
Mrs. Nawor cited the impact Wangari had made on her Environmental
Biology students as her accomplishments and passion to help
her people and heal the earth are tremendous. After offering
this idea to her art students, they were overwhelmingly excited.
When the pieces all went together, Mrs. Nawor came into the
classroom to view the final mural and explained more about
the importance of having Wangari Maathai on the wall of our
school: “Wangaari not only is the first Kenyan woman
to receive the Nobel Peace prize but she is the first Kenyan
woman to receive a PHD and teach at a university. She has
worked against all odds and in a hostile environment to empower
a network of rural women into the Green Belt Movement which
planted 30 million trees while also sowing seeds of democracy.
She was beaten, harassed, and jailed for her efforts until
December 2002 when she was voted into parliament in Kenya’s
first free elections in a generation and soon after appointed
deputy minister for the environment. Everyone should know
who she is and this mural will help at least educate those
at LFHS about what passion and hard work can accomplish.
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